Watchman&#39;s clock



June 19, 1934. J. PQ BRONDELLO WATCHMANS CLOCK Filed March 18, 1933 .IZ A

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John j? rondello MMU.

ou 0000.00 cone Souol'aio osu lll Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE Application March 18,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to watchmans clocks and the primary object of the invention is to provide a clock wherein a master key is used which is separately operated by each station key and is then 5 taken to the clock and used in recording the time of the visits to the stations thus eliminating the necessity of carrying the clocks around to the different stations which has heretofore caused much damage to the clock resulting in expensive repair bills. Another very important feature of the invention resides in the use of a long paper roll that is disposed outside of the clock itself and which will run for many months without renewal and which also provides a larger surface area whereby the time of the watchmans visits to the stations is recorded more accurately than was heretofore done by means of paper discs placed Within the clock itself and which discs necessitated renewal each day and twice a day when twelve hour discs were used.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the novel construction, adaptation, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed. These objects are accomplished by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawing; wherein: Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the device with the front wall removed and showing certain parts of the mechanism in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section taken substantially on a broken line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section taken on a broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section taken on a broken line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on a broken line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig.

6 is a view in longitudinal vertical section showing one of the station keys inserted in the master key; and Fig. 7 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on a broken line 7--7 of Fig. 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawing throughout which like reference numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates, as a whole, the outside casing of the device. Mounted within the top portion of said casing is a clock 6 which is preferably, though not necessarily, an electric clock. Connected to the main driving shaft or other mechanism of the clock by means of a shaft and bevel gears or the like, as shown at 7, is a transverse shaft 8 whose ends are journaled in the front and rear walls of the casing 5. Fixed to each end portion of said transverse shaft are pinwheels 9.

The pins which radially project from the peripheries of the pin-wheels 9 are arranged to en- 1933, Serial N0. 661,492

gage into a series of perforations in each edge portion of a paper strip l0. Said paper strip may be in the form of a roll wound upon a spool 1l and transferred therefrom to a spool 12 by the movement of the clock and the engagement of the pin-wheels with the paper. The paper strip moves along on top of a shelf 13 fixed within the casing 5 and guidel rollers 14 retain the paper down upon the shelf. Although not shown in the drawings, it will be understood that the spool 12 Y may be provided with some rotary impelling means such as a coiled spring, and the spool 11 may have some retarding means such as a flat spring engaging its edge for the purpose of preventing slack or buckling of the paper strip, however it will be understood that the aforesaid clock mechanism supplies the motive power for moving the paper strip.

In describing the time recording means it will hereafter be borne in mind that, for the sake of simplicity, a five station clock is shown herein whereas in actual practice clocks embodying a larger number of stations are used. The time recording means therefore consists first of five type members 15 which members are each separately suspended in a slot through the shelf 13 with their lower ends normally projecting below the shelf and said slots are arranged in a row extending transversely across said shelf. A type bar 16 is fixed to the walls of the casing in parallel relation with the row of type members and at a slight distance vertically above same. f The paper strip 10 passes between said type bar and the type members and said bar and members have complementary, or

male and female letters thereon to designate the v and its inner end portion is normally held down against a stop bar 21 bya. spring 22 fixed to the lever and to a fixed transverse block 23. Interposed between the five type members 15 and the lever cross-head 19 are five plungers 24 each of which is disposed in alignment with each of the type members respectively. Said plungers are each provided with a slot 25 which rides on a fixed transverse guide bar 26. A spring 27, fixed to an end of the plungers and to a fixed transpressing a verse sill 28, normally retains the plungers in a retracted position free of the type members and the lever cross-head with one end of their slots bearing against the guide bar 26. The slots 25 ride loosely on the guide bar 26 and a small spring 29, interposed between each of the plungers and the shelf 13, normally retains the top walls of the slotsdown against the guide bar. Each of the plungers has a depending finger 30 against which pressure is applied in order to move the plungers between the type members and the lever cross-head. The means for moving said plungers constitutes the most important feature of my invention and consists of a master key which will now be described.

The master key, as designated by the numeral .keyhas a well or hole 33 that extends eccentrically into the key nearly the full length of its bodyv portion or the portion which extends into the casing. A stud 3e is fixed to the rear wall of the casing and enters the well thus pivotally retaining the master key in position. The master key is also retained in-position by annular cups S5-respectively Xed to the front and rear walls of the casing and the outside face of the master key remains continually in engagement with said cups when the key is eccentrically revolved about the' stud 34. This outer face of the key, or to be more exact the face opposite the well or hole 63, Vis provided with live rectangular grooves 36 that'are spaced apart the same as are ythe type -members l5 and the plungers 24. Slots 37 eX tend from the bottoms of said grooves into the well or hole 33 and annular recesses 38 are formed around said well where said slots enter` same. A

rectangular tumbler 39 is slidably installed in each of said slots and is yieldinglyretained therein by a spring 40 set in a well in thekey and ball 4l into one of two notches 42 or i3v provided in the tumblers. In the outward position said tumblers project out into the transrverse grooves 36 with said ball in engagement with the notch 42 asshown in Fig. l, and in the inward position one end of said tumblers is ush with'the bottoms of said transverse grooves while Ytheir other ends are flush with the wall of the well or hole 33, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, andsaid ball is in engagement with the notch 43. A longitudinal channel 4 extends along the well or hole inthe master key and connects with all vfive of the annular recesses 38. This longitudinal channel receives the camtooth of the station keys which will now be described.

For a ve station device there are ve station keys each designated bythe numeral 45 and, as shown in Fig. 6, each fiXedly secured to a wall or other convenient place in a building which the watchman is-required to visit when making `his 'rounds of inspection. portion of each station key is adapted to fit snugly The shaft or projecting type bar 16, tooth A will be at a distance out from the annular shoulder 47 the proper distance to register with the annular groove A of master key as shown in Fig. 7, while tooth C of the station key C will register with the annular groove A of the master key as shown in Fig. 6, and so on. The watchman therefore takes the master key with him to the various stations in consecutive order fitting its well or hole 33 onto the station keys with the tooth of each station key passing into the longitudinal channel 44 to its respective annular groove 38 of the master key and then turns the master key completely around before removing same. In so doing the tooth 46 of each station key will move the respective tumblers 39 to the outward position asshown in Fig. 7.

After visiting the various stations the watchman takes the master key 3l back to the clock device, inserts same therein as shown in Fig. 4, and turns it to the right withhis left hand. The tumblers 39 which are in the outward position will engage the depending fingers 30 of the plung- -ers 24 and move said plungers to the right until -will raise the type members l5 against the paper l0. The paper is thus compressed between said` type members and the type bar 16 whereby impressions of the stations are made on the paper by the complementary type on ,said members and bar asshown at 48 in Fig. 2. All of the stations will, of course, be impressed on the,

paper provided the watchman has visited all of them. Assuming that he missed stations C and E whose tumblers 39 are therefore not moved to the outward position, as shown in Fig. 4, these two stations will not be impressed `on the paper.y

It is therefore obvious that the device provides direct means for indicating that the watchman has actually visited the stations in addition to the time at which such visits were made.

In regard to the time at which the watchman,

visits the stations, as recorded on the paper roll l0 and shown at 48 in Fig. 2, the paper roll is divided into hours by heavylines and into intervals of ten minutes by light lines. The paper roll is set so that these lines representing the time,

correspond at the printing point with the time indicated-by the clock 6. When the clock indicates iive as shown in Fig. l, the numeral five on the edge of the roll `will coincide with a vertical plane throughv the center of the type bar 16` and through the center of the row of type members l5. The pin-wheels 9 are so geared to the clock movement that the figures on the edge of the paper 10 continue in synchronous relation with the hands of the clock at all times. Provision may be made for slipping the paper roll alongin either direction, if desired, in order to compensate for any irregularity in the movement of the paper and also for convenience in setting the paper with the clock when same is rst placed within the device. When the watchman is ready to start out on his visits to the various stations he may make a mark on the edge of the paper roll 10 as shown at 49 in Fig. 2. This mark shows that he left the base station where the device is located at eleven twenty A. M. and the stations as impressed on the paper roll indicate that he returned at eleven forty-five A. M. This shows that he was absent from the base station for twenty-live minutes, and, assuming that he visited all ve of the stations in consecutive order, the time at which he visited each station may be readily and accurately determined. When the watchman presses down on the lever 17, as hereinbefore set forth, the plungers 24 are lifted thus releasing their fingers 30 from engagement by the tumblers 39 of the master key 31. The master key may then be completely turned around thus bringing the tumblers into engagement with the slanting front ends of the five fingers which project from the transverse block 23 whereby the tumblers will be moved to their inward position and the master key will then be in readiness to be carried again to the stations by the watchman on his next visit. Although not shown in the drawings, it will be understood that the master key may have longitudinal grooves around its well 33 arranged to receive corresponding splines on the station keys so that same may not be readily duplicated.

Heretofore it has been the practice to carry the clock itself to the different stations. This resulted in much damage to the clock and consequently to heavy expenses for repairs. This is all eliminated by my master key which is comparatively small and very durable and may be carried to the different stations in the watchmans pocket. The advantages in placing the paper roll 10 outside of clock itself and the record was made on a smallv disc of paper which was also placed within the clock. The small area of these discs led to inaccuracy in recording and it was necessary to change the discs each day and twice a day when a twelve hour disc was used.

Having thus described my invention, it being understood that its embodiment as herein shown is intended as an illustration of one means for reducing its principles to practice and that many changes may be resorted to therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

In a watchmans clock embodying means 

